SFAF Works to Protect HIV/AIDS Services from Harmful Cuts

Since the earliest days of the AIDS epidemic, San Francisco has been internationally regarded as a model for its system of services for people living with HIV and AIDS. Today, that system of care is in serious jeopardy as a result of two major factors: the national economic downturn, which has reduced both government and private support for AIDS services, and continuing growth in the epidemic, which is causing cities hardest hit by AIDS to compete more fiercely with one another for those scarce funds.

As a result of these pressures, San Francisco is being faced with significant cuts to its HIV service infrastructure. In March of this year, San Francisco learned that its largest funding source for HIV/AIDS services--its grant from the federal Ryan White CARE Act--was being cut by a whopping $4 million, from $33.9 million down to $29.9 million.

"Even though the national epidemic continues to deepen, the President and Congress have not approved a meaningful increase in CARE funds in recent years and that is a major cause of the cut to San Francisco," explained Ernest Hopkins, SFAF's representative in Washington, D.C. "Meanwhile, other cities and states are pressing hard for major increases in their CARE funding, which is coming at the expense of cities like ours. Pitting jurisdictions against one another like this is shameful. SFAF will continue its work with Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi to bring the President and Congress to understand their responsibility to adequately respond to this ongoing tragedy."

The city's AIDS Office has identified $1 million to postpone CARE funded service cuts until August 1. However, if the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors are unable to identify additional funds in the city's budget year, which begins July 1, critical HIV/AIDS services will be reduced or eliminated. Threatened programs include substance abuse services, legal and immigration services, group meals, transportation to medical appointments, dental care, adult day health care, alternative therapies and more. Protecting those services will be difficult given that the city must close a frightening $307 million budget gap.

Making matters worse, San Francisco's Health Department had to identify additional cuts to its budget due to the citywide budget gap. On May 11th, the Health Department proposed $995,000 in cuts to three city-funded HIV/AIDS programs: practical support services provided by Shanti, mental health services provided by the AIDS Health Project, and a work re-entry program run by Positive Resource Center.

"As a result of these cuts, we face the loss of essential services to preserve quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS," said Dana Van Gorder, who monitors city budgeting for SFAF. "Supervisors Ammiano and Daly have been extremely effective in recent years in preventing cuts to HIV/AIDS services and health services generally. We will be working closely with them both--and with other HIV/AIDS agencies in the city--to protect these vital programs."

Van Gorder also noted that the Foundation's work to protect the state's AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) (see "What a Difference a Day Makes," pg. 2) was essential to protecting HIV/AIDS services in San Francisco. "Some 13 percent of ADAP clients in California are San Franciscans. If we had not secured the funding needed for ADAP, the City could have been faced with the need to find nearly $3 million to assure that all low-income San Franciscans have access to the HIV medications they need. SFAF is also working to secure increased state funds for a program that provides free viral load and drug resistance testing. If successful, this could free up $500,000 the city currently spends on these diagnostic tests to apply to the proposed HIV/AIDS service cuts.

To be involved in SFAF's efforts to secure adequate funding for HIV/AIDS services, contact our Public Policy Department at 415/487-3080.